Breakdown of Ik zal de zaal versieren voordat de mappen zijn klaargelegd.
ik
I
zijn
to be
zullen
shall / will
de zaal
the hall / the gym
de map
the folder
voordat
before
versieren
to decorate
klaarleggen
to lay out
Questions & Answers about Ik zal de zaal versieren voordat de mappen zijn klaargelegd.
Why does this sentence use zijn klaargelegd instead of worden klaargelegd?
This is the state passive. If we used worden (voordat de mappen worden klaargelegd), it would mean the action of laying them out is happening at that exact moment. By using zijn, we emphasize the completed result: the folders will already be sitting in their final position when the decorating happens.
The English translation says "are laid out". Why does Dutch use zijn (which normally forms the present perfect)?
In a state passive, zijn plus a past participle describes a resulting state. While it literally translates to "have been laid out", English frequently just uses "are" to describe a finished state (like "the door is closed"). Dutch uses zijn to clearly show that the action of laying them out is completely finished.
Why are both verbs (zijn klaargelegd) at the end of the second half of the sentence?
The word voordat (before) is a subordinating conjunction, which introduces a dependent clause. In Dutch dependent clauses, all verbs are grouped together at the very end of the clause.
How is the past participle klaargelegd formed?
It comes from the separable verb klaarleggen (to lay out or get ready). When making a past participle for a separable verb, the ge- part gets sandwiched between the prefix (klaar) and the verb stem (legd).
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